Few questions, never modded before.

[c4nati]

Hey all, just a few quick questions for a noob as I couldn't find a definitive answer on my own from searching. If I don't want to run with Mods after I start modding and want to play normal can I just launch Skyrim like normal after I've modded or will I always have to use Nexus once I start modding? Does it still save in the same place in my documents for the game? Thanks!

[drbeavis]

Modding can be tricky because many mods include scripts that stay in your saved game even after you've deleted the mod. STEP is the best resource for stuff like this. http://wiki.step-project.com/Main_Page

[Rennn]

Once you install mods, it's a good idea to keep them. If you want to remove a mod, there's always a risk that your save will break a little. Depending on the type of mod, the danger of save corruption ranges from none to high. Texture mods, for example, are totally safe. Quest mods are usually very unsafe to remove, unless the mod doesn't use any locations, people, or scripts from the vanilla game.

 

If you have a mod, uninstalling it will erase whatever progress you made within that mod. For example, if you download companion Vilja and then uninstall her, if you ever decide to use her again you'll need to build the relationship from scratch. Quests work the same way. When you uninstall a quest mod, you lose whatever progress you made within that quest.

 

Complex mods usually require scripts, and those can hang around in your save game. If you're not sure you like a mod, it's a good idea to test it for a while on a NEW save, and backup your old saves safely.

 

You CAN safely deactivate any mods and play without them, but you may not be able to use an old save to do so. If you want to remove all your mods, it has a risk of breaking your save or causing bugs later, and you may need to start a new game.

 

If you totally break your entire game and can't fix it, you can always delete the whole thing and install Skyrim again without mods and start a new save, but that's a last resort for obvious reasons. Steam Workshop is safer for inexperienced people, but there's still some risk attached, and the Workshop isn't capable of hosting mods with the same level of complexity and options as Nexus mods.

 

Short advice: Make sure the mods you install and save your game with are ones you for sure want to keep.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Rennn